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written and posted by Pat McNees
"Over the last few months, we have seen a great increase in the number of doctors ... speaking up against the current MOC (maintenance of certification) that is now in place," wrote Dr. Linda Girgis in Are Medical Specialty Boards Extorting Physicians? Dr. Girgis explained why doctors do not want to comply with current MOC requirements:
1. The majority of doctors (more…)

by Pat McNees, updated 8-8-16, 5-17-17)
See also FAQs, stories, and articles about assistance dogs and Books about assistance dogsFind the bomb! Good boy! Man’s best friend may be our best bet for staying safe. (Andrea Sachs, Washington Post Magazine, 8-4-16) Dogs are being trained and employed in such fields as search and rescue; narcotics, explosives and bedbug detection; and diabetes alert. Some are providing therapy support and detecting ovarian cancer. Nearly 1,000 six-legged teams safeguard more than 100 airports, mass transit stations and cargo-hold sites. In these anxious times, dogs could have a twofold impact on potential terrorist attacks: deterrence and detection. Sachs writes about where some of man's best friends are being trained, and how, to make the country safe.
• A Complete Guide to Service, Therapy and Emotional Support Dogs (Karen Wang, Friendship Circle, 5-23-13) Suggests resources for finding mobility assistance dogs, medical response dogs (for humans with seizures, diabetes, severe allergies), signal dogs for the hearing impaired, guide dogs for the visually impaired, autism service dogs, psychiatric assistance dogs, therapy dogs, emotional support/companion animals.
• Assistance Dogs International (a coalition of not for profit organizations that train and place assistance dogs (more…)

"This is a special gem of a resource for those contending with dying,death, and bereavement. Through its expertly chosen material, Dying, A Book of Comfort informs, guides, and gently enables healthy grief and mourning. I recommend it heartily.

~ Therese A. Rando, author of How to Go On Living
When Someone You Love Dies

“The subject of death is so rife with terror that it takes a calm and sure hand like Pat McNees’s to soothe, help us understand, and finally, rejoice in life. This is an important and very dear book.”

~ Sherry Suib Cohen, author of Secrets of a Very Happy Marriage

“A remarkable collection (331 pages) of quotations of comfort.”

~ Ernest Morgan,Dealing Creatively with Death

“Seldom have I read a book that exudes such comfort, such an embrace of genuine insight, care and support....The book’s gift, and it is a rich treasure for the reader, is that it embraces who we are.... The book can be read cover to cover, or just pick out a page. Something will leap off the page, a story, a quote, a reading, narrative couplings of diverse themes colorfully worded by the author/​scribe, to give you the needed word or embrace....This book needs wide circulation. The bereaved deserve this, and the book will help all of us.”

“McNees has provided a remarkable anthology of insights, comforting words, stories, reassurance, and guidance for the journey of dying and grieving. Fourteen chapters delve artfully and compassionately into a full range of dying, death, and bereavement topics. An index by author ‘Names’ and another by ‘Titles and Selected First Lines’ make it possible to return and savor the many rich offerings she has gathered.”

~ Rev. Paul A. Metzler, The Center for Living with Loss, in newsletter, Association for Death Education and Counseling

"Dying, A Book of Comfort is THE book to press into the hands of those you love, read out loud in the company of others, and reflect on after they have all gone home. Pat McNees gently guides us as we reluctantly explore the far side of forever."